Press Releases

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, released the following statement on the bipartisan health care agreement announced Sunday. Four of Kaine’s bills were included in this comprehensive package: one to raise the tobacco age to 21, one to improve the nation’s public health data systems, one to expand health care to rural areas through te...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), released the following statement after today’s announcement of the final conference report of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes Kaine’s provisions to improve military housing and many of his other priorities for Virginia. The Senate and House of Representatives will vote on the final legislation.  “After seeing the ...Continue Reading

Foreign Imports Account for 80% of U.S. Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Text of the Letter (PDF) Washington, D.C. - United States Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), along with Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and Tim Kaine (D-Va.), sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper raising concerns about the national security risks posed by U.S. reliance on foreign-manufactured pharmaceutical products. The senators' letter follows the publication of the U.S.-China Economic an...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho) and Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Ben Cardin (D-Md.), chairman and ranking member of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Chris Coons (D-Dela.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Ted Cruz (R-Texas) have introduced a resolution expressing grave concern over irregularities following Bolivia’s general elections held on October 20, 2019, and encouraging the Stat...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, applauded Senate passage of the FUTURE Act, bipartisan legislation he cosponsored to renew expired funding for minority-serving institutions of higher education, including the five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in Virginia.  “I’m thrilled the Senate was able to find a compromise and pass our bill to support HBCU...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement after the Navy signed a contract to block buy nine Virginia-class submarines: “We’re glad the Navy reached this deal to save taxpayer dollars and help protect our nation. We’ve long supported Virginia-class submarines, and we’re excited that this move will strengthen our shipbuilding community in Hampton Roads,&nb...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, sent a letter to Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper today, requesting a briefing to explain the expanded presence of U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia. Last week, the Trump Administration sent a formal war powers notification to Congress stating that additional U.S. forces are being deployed to Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of servicemembe...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement on the resignation of Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer:  “Throughout my work with Secretary Spencer, I’ve known him to be a good man, a patriotic American, and an effective leader. He joins Generals Mattis and McMaster as national security leaders who served our country well despite having to work under an unethical Commander in C...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement on the Administration’s latest troop deployments to Saudi Arabia: “President Trump told the American public that he’s bringing our troops home, and then he turned around and sent them to guard oil in Syria and protect Saudi Arabia. This week, the President sent us a war powers notification stating that he’s expanding our...Continue Reading

Introduce Bill To Continue March Of Dimes’ Lifesaving Work WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators David Perdue (R-GA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) introduced bipartisan legislation to allow March of Dimes to continue its lifesaving work on behalf of all moms and babies. The Protecting Critical Services for Mothers and Babies Act allows March of Dimes to qualify for the same pension funding rules as many other charities and non-profit organizations. Specifically, the bill would designate March of D...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded $1,197,247 in rural development funding to further telemedicine at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, VCU Health’s Community Memorial Hospital in Mecklenburg County, Va. and the Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens in Tazewell County, Va. This funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s Distance Learning and Telemedicine grant program. “Tel...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) applauded $299,456 in federal funding from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) for Virginia Tech to conduct research on community-based ways to combat the opioid epidemic and facilitate cooperation between law enforcement and public health agencies. The grant was awarded through the ONDCP’s Combating Opioid Overdose through Community-Level Intervention (COOCLI) grant program. “Communities throug...Continue Reading

Washington, DC -- Today, Congresswoman Jennifer Wexton (D-VA) sent a letter along with Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) requesting that the National Park Service (NPS) conduct a reconnaissance survey to evaluate the suitability of designating the George C. Marshall House, known as Dodona Manor, in Leesburg as an “affiliated area” under NPS. “Designating the George C. Marshall House as an affiliated area under NPS would bring increased public interest and awarene...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement on the protests in Iran: “Authorities in Iran have shut down the nation’s internet in an attempt to silence protesters and have callously referred to demonstrators as ‘thugs.’ Reports indicate at least a dozen people have been killed, more injured, and over 1000 have been arrested. I stand with those who are protesting p...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) in sponsoring a bipartisan Senate resolution (S.J. Res. 6) that would immediately remove the ratification deadline for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Following this month’s elections in Virginia, the Commonwealth is poised to be the 38th and final state needed to ratify the ERA. If ratified, the ERA would finally g...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.— U.S. Senator Tim Kaine joined Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Mike Lee (R-UT) in introducing the Smarter Sentencing Act, legislation to modernize federal drug sentencing policies by lowering certain mandatory drug sentences. “Our nation is facing a serious over-incarceration problem,” said Kaine. “One way we can tackle this challenge is by reducing mandatory minimums that unfairly punish non-violent drug offenders. ...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, released a statement following multiple reports that President Trump has reversed course after promising to issue a ban on non-tobacco flavored e-cigarettes:   “It’s unacceptable that President Trump is putting politics over public health by breaking his promise to ban flavored e-cigarettes. As the epidemic of youth e...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-Del.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) introduced legislation to help more unemployed Americans reenter the workforce. The Building on Reemployment Improvements to Deliver Good Employment (BRIDGE) for Workers Act would give states more flexibility in administering existing unemployment benefits to help more Americans find good-paying jobs.  These reemployment benefits—which ...Continue Reading

~ Senators have been pushing to lift the Chinese ban on U.S. turkey and chicken products for years ~  WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) today applauded the news that the Chinese government will lift the import ban on U.S. poultry products that has been in place since 2015, effective immediately. “For years, we have raised concerns about China’s unfair ban on U.S. poultry products and today’s announcement that the ban will be lifted...Continue Reading

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, U.S. Senators Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine joined Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Dianne Feinstein and all of their Democratic colleagues in introducing the Senate companion to the House-passed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act. The bill, which would reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) through 2024, provides essential protections and resources to survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse. The legislation preserves adv...Continue Reading